Landschap met figuren bij een hut met twee vlaggen 1890 - 1946

Cornelis Vreedenburgh made this little landscape sketch, "Landschap met figuren bij een hut met twee vlaggen," with graphite on paper. You can really feel the artist mapping out the barest bones of the scene. It feels like a fleeting impression, a quick notation of shapes and forms. I think I know this feeling: when you are trying to capture an image as quickly as possible, the marks are so direct and economical. He’s got this scribbled vertical that could be a tree trunk or maybe the side of the hut, then these little flags sticking out. I imagine Vreedenburgh standing there, squinting a bit, trying to get the essence of the place down before the light changes. He's just giving us the basic ingredients, and it is up to us to flesh out the rest. It's so simple, yet it has a charm. It reminds me that every artist is in conversation with those who came before. Each mark is part of an ongoing exploration, adding to the endless possibilities of what painting can be.